Miller: Teenager's death seven years ago mirrors that of Trayvon Martin Feb. 26.

Sponsored Links

USATODAY OPINION

Columns

In addition to its own editorials, USA TODAY publishes a variety of opinions from outside writers. On political and policy matters, we publish opinions from across the political spectrum.

Roughly half of our columns come from our Board of Contributors, a group whose interests range from education to religion to sports to the economy. Their charge is to chronicle American culture by telling the stories, large and small, that collectively make us what we are.

We also publish weekly columns by Al Neuharth, USA TODAY's founder, and DeWayne Wickham, who writes primarily on matters of race but on other subjects as well. That leaves plenty of room for other views from across the nation by well-known and lesser-known names alike.

But for me, Trayvon Martin's death parallels a similar tragedy that unfolded in my community on Feb. 26, 2005 — exactly seven years before.

Jerrod Miller was a 16-year-old African American who was shot and killed by a white rookie police officer outside a school dance in Delray Beach, Florida.

The tragic shooting triggered protests, anger, sadness and a complex legal process that included a civil suit and the first inquest in Palm Beach County in decades.

I was mayor of Delray Beach at the time, and there is no playbook for how to manage or cope with a situation as sad, tragic and volatile as the shooting of a teen.

And while the Jerrod Miller shooting was the subject of intense local news media coverage, it did not become a national story, probably because social media was not as influential in 2005 as it is today.

Nevertheless, there are similarities to explore and lessons to be learned from our experience in Delray and what is unfolding in Sanford, Fla., and across the nation.

Jerrod was shot and killed after he was stopped by police while driving his uncle's Cadillac outside a local school. Jerrod did not have a driver's license. In a split second, he decided to flee police, and his car headed toward the breezeway at the school when the rookie officer opened fire, striking Jerrod and killing him instantly. Eyewitness reports at the scene were mixed. The officer claimed that the car was speeding toward students; others said that there was nobody in the breezeway.

In a split second, a young life was lost, and the life of the rookie officer was forever changed. Our community changed as well.

Coping with racial issues

Delray Beach has struggled with issues of race for most of its 100-year history. We are a great community, and we have made enormous strides, winning national awards, redeveloping our downtown into one of the finest in the nation and improving neighborhoods and schools. But though we are a diverse community, we are also largely segregated into "white" and "black" neighborhoods. To this day, we still have two Little Leagues, one black, one white. Efforts have been made to integrate the leagues, but the historic minority league has resisted overtures to merge. Likewise, perceptions still linger about the safety of certain schools and neighborhoods that are simply not based on fact.

As mayor, I was determined to change the racial dynamic in our two-time "All America City." When we completed our master plan for the downtown, we adjusted the boundaries to include minority neighborhoods as part of the new definition of downtown.

We also launched a race relations initiative that included conversations called "study circles" that encouraged a deep exploration of the issues that have kept our community apart for decades.

I was criticized for opening Pandora's box by some in our community, but most people longed to connect with each other. When they did — many for the first time — they learned that they had more in common than not. They shared a desire for safe neighborhoods, a passion for their children to succeed, fears of crime and a yearning to connect with their neighbors — to feel as if they could walk, drive, live, work and play comfortably in any neighborhood, regardless of their race or ethnicity.

An opportunity to be seized

Nothing can bring back Trayvon Martin. Nothing can bring back Jerrod Miller. The tragic loss of young men cannot be erased by any kind of civic effort.

But amidst the sadness and beyond the anger, there is opportunity. Opportunity for neighbors to discuss issues once considered forbidden. Opportunities for mayors, communities, police chiefs, teachers, parents and children to talk, connect and get to know each other's dreams, fears, concerns, challenges and aspirations.

We began that process in Delray Beach, even before Jerrod Miller's shooting. I think it saved us. Because despite the understandable anger, sadness, confusion and rage, we survived and in many ways grew closer as a community, although we still have a long way to go.

This is the opportunity that we as a nation have now. For our children's sake and safety, I pray we seize it.

Jeff Perlman is principal at Delray Brand Group LLC. He was mayor of Delray Beach, Fla., from 2003 to 2007.

For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

Posted | Updated

USA TODAY is now using Facebook Comments on our stories and blog posts to provide an enhanced user experience. To post a comment, log into Facebook and then "Add" your comment. To report spam or abuse, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box. To find out more, read the FAQ and Conversation Guidelines.